STEVENS POINT, Wis.—The UW-Stevens Point women's lacrosse team (7-2, 1-0) opened WIAC play Wednesday evening with a 16-9 win over UW-Stout (5-5, 0-3). The Pointers start to the 2026 season is the best start in program history.
 
Stout netted two goals early in the first quarter. Aubrey Keeping (Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead) broke the Pointers' scoring halt at 6:25 off an assist from Ali Senart (Muskego, Wis./Muskego). Addison Novack (Cedarburg, Wis./Cedarburg) picked up a ground ball off a Blue Devil turnover for the equalizer goal at 5:49. Stout took back the lead with less than a minute remaining. Rowan Dunn (Janesville, Wis./Joseph A. Craig) secured a draw control for the Pointers leading to Barrie Bahr's (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) first goal of the evening, off an assist from Novack, to tie the game back up before the second quarter.
 
The Blue Devils found the back of the net early again in the second quarter, 11 seconds before Marissa Van Dyke (Green Bay, Wis./Green Bay Southwest) found Aubrey Keeping (Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead) for a goal, tying the game at 4-4. Novack found Van Dyke for her first goal of the evening at 7:53 to give the Pointers a one-goal lead. Kaylynn Gracyalny (Pulaski, Wis./Pulaski) tacked on an additional goal at 7:12, off an assist from Van Dyke. The Blue Devils came within one goal at 4:56, just before the Pointers closed out the half with two more goals. Van Dyke netted a free-position goal at 2:53. Elysia Pitts (Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port) rounded out the Pointers' first half scoring with an unassisted goal at 1:31.
 
Bahr extended the Pointers' lead to 9-5 with her second goal at 13:48, off an assist from Keeping. Van Dyke found Bahr at 11:15 to complete her second-straight hat trick. Keeping completed her hat trick at 8:23 off an assist from Bahr. Stout scored on a free-position goal at 7:40 to cut the Pointers' lead to five goals. Novack secured a draw control for the Pointers to net an unassisted goal at 7:18. The Blue Devils were given another free-position attempt, resulting in a goal. Novack found Dunn for her first collegiate goal at 4:18, extending the Pointers' lead to 13-7. Stout netted the final goal of the third quarter at 1:12.
 
Pitts found Bahr at 12:27 in the final quarter on a player-up opportunity to pull away, 14-8. Van Dyke completed her hat trick at 3:21 off an assist from Novack. Keeping scored the Pointers' final goal of the evening on a player-up opportunity from Van Dyke. The Blue Devils rounded out the final quarter with a free-position goal with 42 seconds remaining.
 
Emily Griege (Chesterfield, Mo./Westminster Christian Academy) was in goal, making 14 saves in 60 minutes of play.
 
The Pointers begin a three-game stint on the road on Wednesday (Apr. 8) at UW-La Crosse. Opening draw is set for 6:00 p.m.